This invention relates to a flyer for textile apparatus and particularly to a low inertia flyer for apparatus of the type in which a strand material is drawn from a generally cylindrical package and passed through a hollow spindle on which the package is supported.
Certain textile processes such as twisting and winding are done with apparatus in which strand material or yarn is brought to the process in a wound package such as a cone, mounted on a hollow spindle, and then drawn from the package and through the hollow spindle for further processing. Persons skilled in the textile arts will be familiar with such apparatus and processes and will be able to identify appropriate applications for the invention described hereinafter without necessity or more detailed description here of such apparatus and processes.
Many such apparatus have included flyers in the form of arms mounted for rotation about spindles mounting strand material packages, and guiding strand material as it is drawn from the packages. Certain such apparatus have provided tension control means associated with flyers for controlling the tensioning of strand materials moving through flyers. Such apparatus have presented at least two major types of problems.
One problem arises out of the inertial effects of the rotating mass of the flyer. As will be understood, a flyer with a relatively great mass will be slower to accelerate and decelerate and will impose stress on the strand material which must transmit the forces necessary to accomplish such changes in momentum or overfeed strand material during deceleration. Thus it is desirable to have minimal inertial mass for a flyer.
Another problem arises out of the use of a tensioning device to impose tension on strand material moving through the flyer. Where such devices are used, greater control over the strand material is accomplished, as is necessary for certain processes. However, the inertial mass of the flyer is increased while difficulties are introduced in setting, controlling and operating the tensioning device. Certain prior proposals have addressed at least some of these problems by embedding the tensioning device within the hollow spindle, at the cost of significantly complicating the setting, controlling and maintenance of the tensioning device.